New Eclipse will force me to spend more!

I just had the Eclipse 5425 installed and all I can say is WOW. This thing is some kind of ugly. For any of you who are hoping this unit will look better installed, you can forget it in my opinion. It reminds me of that line in Vacation, "you think you hate it now, wait until you drive it!"

Seriously, I had reservations about the tacky appearance before, but opted to buy it due to Eclipse's reputation for SQ. After turning this thing on at night, I now know why all the other reindeer made fun of Rudolph's red shining nose.

Also, I certainly hope the controls get to be a lot more usefull as I get used to then.

I know, what about the SQ?? I cant really speak to that as I have not changed out my speakers yet. However, I will say that even based on the stock speakers this unit seems to put out a clear sound.

I will say that I now feel that I can't cut corners on any of the other pieces in my system --- if I am going to keep this HU, the system as a whole had better sound good.

Re: New Eclipse will force me to spend more!

Originally Posted by chubby

very ugly HU. should sound good for its price.
i wouldnt buy anything from eclipse unless it was there top of the line, which i love.....and own

should sound good for its price? Are you implying they are expensive because that certainly is not the case. 5V decks start at $179. Sure you can spend $500-$600, authorized(but you can with nearly any brand).

Re: New Eclipse will force me to spend more!

Is it the red lighting? I probably would have gone with the 5425 instead of the 5435 if the buttons weren't red/pink. The ergos are pretty good when you get used to them, the vol knob was hard to use at first, but now its OK. Great sound though, makes the quirks OK by me.

Re: New Eclipse will force me to spend more!

Originally Posted by JLCivic

should sound good for its price? Are you implying they are expensive because that certainly is not the case. 5V decks start at $179. Sure you can spend $500-$600, authorized(but you can with nearly any brand).

no, should sound good FOR ITS PRICE.

translation(s)
with its relatively low price considered, it should sound good.

Re: New Eclipse will force me to spend more!

ok dont even hate on the 5425 i have it installed on my evo. great sounding deck. and possibly looks bad on your car..but for me it's looks great. matches interior color. i guess the look of the 5425 goes along with the interior of the car. so far. the deck has totally changed the sound of my stock speakers. i can't wait to get my sub and my comps installed. then ill let you guys know.

Re: New Eclipse will force me to spend more!

Don't get me wrong, I am going to give this unit a chance, I am just having a little fun concerning its ridiculous appearance. If you don't have a sense of humor (or very bad taste), don't buy this HU.

As for this unit going well with the interior of certain vehicles, my first thought is you must be driving an ice cream truck. (Don't get peeved - I am only kidding).

I am serious about thinking I now need to go with higher grade equiptment in the remainder of my system. I would hate to tell my passengers that they need to quit laughing at my HU because of the great SQ and then not be able to back it up with a good sounding system.

By the way, the pinkish (in daytime) -- bright cherry red (at night) face has a lot to do with the way I feel about the appearance of the unit. I find that the center of the display looks a little odd as well.

I just could not see putting out another $130 or more for the 5435. Not that I saying that the 5435 is not worth it, its just that it is so easy to "bump" yourself up a few dollars here and there when building a system that you can quickly spend way more than you intended.

Re: New Eclipse will force me to spend more!

Originally Posted by SinongTatayMo

ya but look at the price difference.
5425 = 229.00
5435 = 379.00

i mean is a remote, aux output, and five pattern illumination worth the extra 150.00

I have the 5435 as retailing for $349, not $379(or is your local shop just charging more for it?). Whether those features(the 5435 also will play WMAs) are worth the extra $$$ depends on the person. An aux in is very nice to have, but I never used remotes when I had them.

Re: New Eclipse will force me to spend more!

Let's face it... Eclipse could do well to hire some designers who had any kind of clue about what a good looking deck might look like. They perfected the sound a long time ago - why not get it all right and truly OWN the majority of the competition in both important aspects?

Re: New Eclipse will force me to spend more!

Originally Posted by Hoot

Let's face it... Eclipse could do well to hire some designers who had any kind of clue about what a good looking deck might look like. They perfected the sound a long time ago - why not get it all right and truly OWN the majority of the competition in both important aspects?

well their previous designs were really good imo. I've owned a 5303r and now currently a 55040.